Do You Have These Top 4 Interview Skills?
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Lately it seems like everyone is open to changing jobs, even if they aren’t actively searching for something new. It’s a great time to do so too; it’s a candidate’s market and if you are well prepared, you might just get your pick of the available options.
The job search process can be stressful! Here are a few tips from our recruiters on how to ease some of that anxiety and impress your interviewer at the same time. Bonus: these tips work regardless of whether the interview is in person, or by phone or video.
1. Do Your Research
It’s likely that one of the first questions your interviewer asks you is what you know about the company, their history, and what they do. Do some research before your interview and write down some quick notes to be able to reference later.
Important pieces to recall might be:
When the company was founded
What they do (produce/sell/provide/etc.)
What their principle values are
Who is currently leading the company
How the organization has performed recently
You most likely won’t be asked “When were we founded?”, but your interviewer will probably be impressed if they ask you what you know about the organization and you are able to respond with some key facts.
2. Be Overly Prepared
It’s better to be more than prepared than necessary, than to be underprepared. Plan to arrive early in case of traffic, technical difficulties, or other unforeseen surprises. Get your supplies and outfit ready the night before, so you don’t have to think about it on the day of the interview.
Be prompt: log in to the video or conference call a few minutes early; or arrive at the interview location with enough time to collect yourself and still be five minutes or so early.
If you’re meeting in person, have a few extra copies of your resume printed and ready to hand out. If you are meeting virtually, have your resume and research notes available for easy reference.
Dress appropriately for the location, the role, and the organization’s culture. If you are interviewing with a contractor at a construction jobsite, wearing a suit and tie is going to seem out of place and impractical. A good guideline is to dress one level above the dress code of the business. I.e.: if they dress casually, you should dress in business casual. If they wear business casual, you should consider dressing slightly more formally.
3. Rehearse
Practice truly does make perfect! While you don’t know exactly what your interviewer is going to ask you about, there are some topics you can brush up on and rehearse solid answers for ahead of time. Generally speaking, most interviews contain variations of the following:
Tell me about yourself
A time you messed up/made a mistake
An example of when you worked in a team or autonomously
An example of when you exhibited leadership traits
Why you want to work at the organization
Your worst/best qualities
Remember that your answers should focus on your professional and educational experience. Be honest, but word the answer so that it shows growth and awareness.
For example, if you tend to struggle with interpersonal relationships, you might say something to the effect of: “I prefer to work autonomously, and in the past I’ve struggled to build close relationships with my coworkers. I’ve received this feedback before and I’ve made a lot of progress since. I realize now that relationships in the office are important to build camaraderie and trust.”
Practicing running through these topics ahead of time can really help refine and polish your answers and interview presence.
4. Ask Questions
A good interview goes both ways; it’s not just the company interviewing you, you are also interviewing them to determine if the organization and the role are the right fit. Asking questions is important to get the full picture of what an organization might be like behind the scenes.
When your interviewer asks if you have any questions, you definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity. Don’t be afraid to dig in and get details the interviewer might have missed mentioning.
How would you describe the culture of the team/department/organization?
What would a typical work week look like in this position?
Where do you think the organization could use the most improvement?
Is there anything about my background or experience that gives you any concerns about my ability to succeed in this position?
Interviews are both time-consuming and stressful, so you want to make the best of the time you’re given and put your best foot forward. Remember it’s better to be overprepared than underprepared, research the organization and interviewer and take notes, rehearse some common interview topics, and ask questions. Tackling these 4 steps one at a time can help make your interview seem less overwhelming by dividing preparation into bite-sized chunks. Just don’t wait until the last minute to prepare!
Best of luck!
By Jessica Palmer